Depaz Hors d’Âge Port Cask Finish

Depaz sits at the foot of Mont Pelee near Saint-Pierre, and this Hors d'Age is an AOC rhum agricole distilled from fresh sugarcane juice, aged around eight years and then finished in port casks. It is unsweetened, in keeping with the AOC's ban on added sugar, so the port richness here comes from the wood rather than from dosage.

The cane-juice base keeps a grassy, vegetal thread running under the port influence, an interesting contrast of fresh cane and wine-cask depth. The nose shows dried fruit, port, wood and a floral lift, the palate brings dried fruit, vanilla and sugarcane with the port note, and the finish carries wood, port, fruit and raisin. At a gentle 45% it stays composed and easy to approach. This is a welcoming way into port-finished agricole for drinkers coming from aged molasses rums, the familiar dried-fruit and cocoa notes easing the transition while the cane character keeps it honest.